Second Store of Faith
by waiting4haykin
Summary: What if Padme had gone along with Anakin, even though she knew it would break her? Now Anakin wants to repair the damage, but fate has other plans.
1. Dreams

**Dreams**

"_Anakin, you're breaking my heart." _

_Padmé looked at him…in his swirling clouds of darkness and raining lava. But he gazed past her, seeing something behind her. Something that was making things in his mind click into place. She could see it reflecting in his eyes. And without thinking, without breathing, without waiting for his complete and total rage to set in, she ran up and kissed him. _

_She kissed his anger away from her…and towards Obi-Wan. Anakin pulled away to look at his wife. She was choosing a life that she could not ever be content with. His love was choosing to look away from her ideas and beliefs for the sake of their love. He could feel her despair. Either choice would leave her with an emptiness. Even still, she was choosing him over happiness. She silently pleaded with him, her eyes telling him to stop. "Stop, stop now. I love you." Her eyes told him again and again. He looked back towards Obi-Wan._

_His former master was drawing closer now. He was nearly behind Padmé, about to pull her away from Anakin. His hand was nearly on her shoulder…was reaching up to touch her…Anakin wouldn't take it any more. Darth Vader wouldn't take it any more. _

"_Padmé, move aside. I need to _speak_ to Obi-Wan." Padmé understood the signal and stepped aside with a bit of hesitation. When she turned, Obi-Wan could see the tears running down her cheeks. She knew this would be the end of one of either her friend or her husband. _

_Anakin and Obi-Wan both went for their lightsabers and twin lights of blue lighted up the landing platform. The Master and former Padawan went after each other. Slash, parry. Slash, slash, parry. Slash. They put their all into the fight, but their all was barely enough to stay alive…They had known each other too long. Knew all too well what to expect. _

_They knew that there was a fine line between risking their lives and losing them. Both also knew to stay far enough away from the Senator. Neither man was willing to put her in harms way. It lit Anakin's heart afire to know that Obi-Wan was being so careful and conscious of his wife. Then he turned to see that she had fallen to the ground. He ran to her. Obi-Wan could wait. Padmé couldn't._

_She woke up to see Anakin (or was it Darth Vader?) standing over her in an unfamiliar room. "Padmé?" Her name seemed to get stuck in his mouth. "Padmé?"_

Anakin woke up and turned to see his sleeping wife. He turned to the door of their bedroom to see little Luke standing in the doorway. Luke was about four now. Leia came up behind him. "Daddy?" She looked frightened.

_What if Padmé had not come with me that night? _The words bounced around in Anakin's mind. What if she had not agreed to come to the Dark Side with him? What then?

"Daddy?" Leia was trembling in her pajamas. "Can we come and sleep with you tonight? We both had bad dreams." It still amazed Anakin at how connected with the Force his family was. They all seemed to be so in tune with one another. Even Padmé looked troubled in her sleep.

"Sure." His two children ran to jump under the covers. They immediately snuggled next to their mother. Was it instinct to be closer to their mother? Or did they sense what he had done? How he had seemingly destroyed the galaxy. How he had killed children not much older than his own.

Anakin tried to put his arm around Luke to comfort his son, but it was his cold and mechanical right one. Luke immediately shrank away from the touch. The boy wasn't trying to hurt him, Anakin knew. Still, it hurt to know that he was somewhat of a monster in his children's eyes – someone to be feared and respected, not loved.

Leia and Luke went to sleep right away. They were as calmed by Padmé's presence as their father always was. Anakin turned onto his back to think about his dream. About how Obi-Wan and he had nearly fought to the death on that platform. Then he had turned to see his pregnant wife lying on the ground.

Obi-Wan had turned to stop his former Padawan, only to be knocked back with the Force. Anakin had no time to deal with him. He instead had taken Padmé to safety. Later that night, she had given birth to little Luke and Leia.

If only he would have turned back then. He had thought he was too far gone, but he could have escaped the Dark Side even still. His two children could have changed his heart. They could have changed the future of the galaxy. If only he would have turned back. In her sleep, Padmé was thinking exactly the same…._If only he would have turned back…We could have been happy…_


	2. Morning Routines

**Morning Routines**

Padmé sat on the bed while brushing through her hair. Anakin stood in the doorway, about ready to leave for the day. She didn't know what he would be doing and was not going to ask. Ignorance was best for her. She did not want to know who he had hurt or what planet he had oppressed. She'd rather not think about it at all. Yet Padmé didn't want to lose him. Part of her still loved Anakin Skywalker – whatever was left of him, anyway.

"Did Luke and Leia have nightmares last night?"

He smiled. "Yes, they did. You seem to know so much of what they are thinking. Motherly intuition?" She looked up at him and forced a smile onto her face. "It helps to be with them so much. To talk to them and see them every day." Anakin backed off. It hurt him enough that his children shrunk away from him. It cut at his heart more than a lightsaber ever could.

"I should be going." Anakin went over and kissed her on the cheek. He went to Luke's room and kissed his little son good-bye. Then to Leia's room to talk to her. She looked up as he walked into her room. She'd been brushing her hair on the bed. Leia gazed into his eyes with her mother's knowing eyes and smiled with her mother's smile. His little daughter was so like Padmé that she could have been a clone.  
"Leia, I need you to look out for Luke today, okay? Mommy isn't feeling all that well. You are the strong one here. I need you to be a big girl today." Leia gazed up at him. "Is something wrong, Daddy?"

Leia was using the Force already. She was seeing what no one would tell her. She had always seemed a bit older than Luke. She was not more gifted or more intellectual; she just had a way of knowing what was never said and saying what no one else would say. She could sense it with ever fiber of her being.

"Nothing is wrong. I have to go now, sweetie." Anakin decided it would be best not to tell Leia. He was going to try as hard as possible to pretend that he was not Darth Vader when he was around. He was going to try to pretend that he and Padmé were not both hurt by what had happened on Mustafar. He was going to try to pretend that this life was better than it was. Pretending was all he could do to keep the little scraps of Anakin Skywalker together.

As he walked out of Leia's room, he put on the face of Darth Vader. He let himself become cold and heartless. Anakin Skywalker walked to the door, and Darth Vader closed it behind him.


	3. Premonitions

**Premonitions**

Luke finished getting ready for the day. He got dressed and combed his hair. For being just four, both he and his sister were very self-sufficient. They didn't need much help any more. They still played with toys and each other, but they were already done being children in many ways. The twins had learned too quickly that their parents might need more help then they themselves did.

When Luke was ready, he ran to Leia's room to talk to her. He needed to know what she thought of his dream last night. It had all seemed so real. Leia could sense his anxiety. She knew that he was scared of his dream. She was scared too. Her own dream had been eating at her. She could sense a huge change coming on – a "shift in the Force," as her father sometimes said.

Luke pushed her door open to find Leia putting her long hair into two buns, one on each side of her head, as she usually did. He plopped down on her bed and sat until she said something. He waited in the silence of his thoughts. He closed his eyes and thought intently about the dream. It was more of a reflex to meditate than a conscious choice.

Finally, when Leia had her hair done up, she turned to him. She decided to sit next to her brother on the bed and meditate herself. Somehow, they both had picked up the tendencies of Jedi. Master Yoda himself could not have trained them any better. They became Jedi by thinking, feeling, and sensing. How they had come upon the habit, neither was quite sure.

After a time, Luke opened his eyes. He had thought about everything that he possibly could on his own. "Can I talk to you?" Leia had opened her eyes as soon as he spoke. She knew that she was done thinking as well. "Sure."

"It's about my dream last night."

"Yeah."

"In my dream, a man came to our house. Daddy got really angry….He didn't like the man….And Mommy was scared. I don't really understand it all. We had to go to hide under your bed. When we were down there, we found a box. We started opening it, but I woke up. I don't know what happened after that."

"I had a dream too. There was a man who came to our house, like in your dream. He fought Daddy, but he didn't really want to. He just _had_ to. That's why we were hiding, I think. Mommy was scared for us. I could feel her fear. And she was crying. I think she knew the man. It was confusing. I wasn't sure what to think about everything."

"What are we going to do? Do you think this will happen, Leia?"

Leia though for a moment. They could both tell that it would happen. Her gut told her that it would be soon. She wanted to tell her mother, but she had to be strong. Her father had said to be his big girl.

"I think it's going to happen, Luke."

"What about the box?"

"Let's look for it. Do you know what it looks like?"

Luke thought. He couldn't remember the size of the box or the shape. He couldn't remember the color or the material it was made of. He couldn't remember anything about the box except that he'd know it if he saw he again. Luke just knew that he would feel a huge amount of "the Force" surrounding it. It would speak to him. The box held an object that would affect the rest of their lives.

"I don't know anything except it's a box. But we found it under your bed."

"Mommy put something under there once. She had nowhere else to put it."

The two didn't need to say anything else. They immediately got up and searched around the room. The first place to look was under the bed. If it had been there in the dream, then it should be there now, right? Wrong. There was no box in the place that Luke had seen it in his dream. But it had been there recently. An imprint was left in the carpeting where the box had been.

The next place to look was in the closet, but it remained lost to the pair of twins. If only Leia had remembered what had happened just two nights ago. If only she had remembered when her father had come into her room during the middle of the night, then she would have thought about him removing a box during her half-sleep. She had pretended to be dreaming, but she could not have been more awake.

There had been something disturbing about her father's presence in the dark. It was a presence that could have woken her up from the deepest of pleasant dreams. Anger had radiated off him. He was in the hottest of rages. Leia had never seen her father so angry. Hard as he had tried not to, Anakin Skywalker had showed the Dark Side to his daughter.

But Leia did not remember her father or his anger. She could only think her mother and her dream at the moment. Luke scoured his room for the box but did not find it. Neither realized what was in the next room. Neither felt the echoes of darkness and light…of cause and effect…of good and evil…all at once…all coming from the next room. All of these were under their mother's bed, as she cried herself into another treacherous dream.


	4. Pure Power, Pure Pain

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these amazing characters, and I am getting absolutely no money from this...except in my dreams.

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**Pure Power, Pure Pain**

Having finally awoken from her nap, and with no more comfort than before, Padmé walked into the living room, where the sounds of her comlink's beeping greeted her. "Perfect," Padmé muttered to herself. She went over and turned on the "Receive Message" button. A holographic image of the Emperor greeted her with a slight – ever so slight, hardly-even-worth-mentioning type of slight – bow. It was common courtesy, not that the Emperor had to adhere to common courtesy any more.

"Ah, Padmé. I was hoping I'd get to speak with you."

"You have my attention, Emperor. What can I do for you?" Padmé was far too tired of the whole charade. A man like Emperor Palpatine barely deserved the time of day, never mind a kind word.

"I was wondering if I could speak with you today. I have some, uh, pressing matters that need to be addressed."

"Well, my husband is currently working. I do not see why you cannot talk to him. He is, after all, your apprentice. I am sure that Lord Vader can help you in any way you need." With that, Padmé nearly turned off the comlink. She was in no mood for all of this. What was so hard with walking down a hall to talk to Darth Vader? As she reached for the off button, Palpatine put out his hand, as if he would stop her were he there.

"It is actually about Lord Vader. That's why I must talk with _you_."

"Very well, if you must. You can come for lunch."

"Thank you, Padmé. I will see you at noon then." Palpatine's image faded away as Padmé sighed deeply. She was not looking forward to seeing him. She had once thought he was a decent man, but the fall of the Republic had taught her otherwise. Quietly moving throughout the house, she looked to see what there was to do. Being a senator had once occupied all of her time. Now, when alone and in a foul mood, Padmé could not remember what she did for fun.

Feeling restless, she went to look through her closet. She kept some scrapbooks there. The pictures in those books might bring back memories. The first one she grabbed was marked "Anakin and Padmé," which contained their wedding photos and a few other pictures and letters.

The photos were all taken by pre-setting a camera…they had never been able to get pictures professionally taken. Their relationship had been secret for such a long time, and Anakin had never felt very photogenic. He hated seeing his mechanical arm in a picture. "It will always stand out," he had said on their wedding day, before leaning down to kiss his wife.

A tear slipped down Padmé's cheek. "We won't ever have that again," she whispered to the dead air that surrounded her. A sudden realization hit her like a brick wall. When was the last time Anakin had come home? Sure, Darth Vader had appeared to her every night…had gotten into bed and had fallen asleep beside her…had kissed her children – Anakin's children. Yet Anakin had not done those simple, everyday actions in some time. His shell was all that came to her, but his soul had seemingly remained on Mustafar.

She grabbed at another scrapbook, only to find dead air in the closet. _Maybe some are under the bed. _Was that her mind or the Force? The thought could have come from either; the lines were blurring. She couldn't see straight now. A sweeping sensation was coming towards her, running all through her body, pumping through her heart. Her entire existence became a fleeting feeling of ecstasy as her hand felt a box underneath the bed.

Her heart suddenly stopped as she realized what her fingertips were touching…what her hand was feeling…what she was sliding out from under the bed…It was a box that was too familiar to her. She knew what lay inside, but she opened it anyway. A lightsaber came into view as she picked it up from the box. Padmé stood up and felt power surge through her. It was less her power, and more the power of the darkness that surrounded the lightsaber.

She was terrified.

All she could think about was the red blade that could come out of the lightsaber. She thought about the destruction the flash of red could cause. Slamming the deadly weapon into the box, Padmé ran into Leia's room. Her daughter and son were currently searching Luke's room, hoping that his dream was wrong about which bed it was.

Padmé seized the opportunity and went into to the empty room. She went to the bed and threw the box under it. Darth Vader must have moved it, but it was safe under Leia's bed. Anyone looking for it would check any room but their little girl's. Luke was the one who had been publicly announced as the future apprentice to his father. Palpatine had wanted it that way, for unknown reasons.

Once the box was safely hidden, Padmé went to see what her children were doing. She needed to be preoccupied. She didn't want to think or feel right then. All she was asking for was to not think about the lethal weapon that was now lurking under her daughter's bed. It was waiting and hoping to be used, for good or evil, whichever wielded the blade.

Padmé stopped at the door. She took a deep breath and turned the knob. By peeking in, she found Luke and Leia sitting on the floor. Luke gazed up at her and smiled, as though trying to give her the strength that she did not have.

"Hi, Mommy," he said excitedly. Tears rolled down Padmé's face as she slumped to the floor. Could this little boy become the apprentice of a murderer? Leia went over to comfort her mother, but without success.

Padmé Skywalker was too deep to be comforted. She was drowning and no one could save her, though her children were grabbing at her hands and trying to.


	5. Back on Coruscant

**Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars...yet. **

**Back on Coruscant**

Obi-Wan Kenobi sighed. He ached all over from his traveling. He was tired and cold, but the Force kept him awake long enough to set his speeder to autopilot. This was too much at once. The Jedi Master had just found out his next mission. One he'd rather not think about. He leaned back into his chair and frowned. _How can I do this? _

He calmed himself and relaxed. _Focus…focus…concentrate on the moment at hand…focus…_He told himself the words over and over, attempting to meditate. It was times like these that made him realize how much he missed the Jedi Temple. The once peaceful place of Jedi training and residence had long since been turned to ruins. He slammed his hands onto the control surface in a rare burst of anger. If only this would stop! This madness was tearing at him from the inside out. He couldn't think clearly and controlling emotions was becoming a more and more difficult task by the minute.

Yoda's voice drifted into his head from the conversation just moments before. The wise master had spoken without emotion, though the look in his eyes had spoken volumes. "Destroy the Sith, we must, Obi-Wan. Time for emotions, this is not." _I know! I know. I know. I have to concentrate on what I am doing for the greater good. Yet why did I get this assignment?_ As he passed by the remnants of the Temple, Obi-Wan realized the foolishness of his emotions.

Attachment was forbidden. Anger was forbidden. But fear…was fear forbidden? Obi-Wan was afraid of what he would do. Or what he would not do. Thousands of beings across the galaxy were afraid of dying. They were afraid of tomorrow. They were afraid of today. What these beings called fear did not compare to Obi-Wan's absolute terror.

Yes, even a trained Jedi could become terrified at the knowledge that he would soon be taking a life. _I can't believe this. He won't be armed, will he? And Padmé…_He flinched. This would hurt her. He didn't love Padmé the way Anakin had supposed. Obi-Wan was not waiting for her or any such foolishness. That did not, however, change the fact that he was not very anxious to be seeing her again.

Her whole world had collapsed, Obi-Wan knew. They had shared the pain of Anakin's fall. Obi-Wan opened his eyes to the sight before him. It was an apartment building. The top apartment was spectacular, as it should be. Darth Vader lived there, along with Padmé, Luke, and Leia. He felt with the Force into the building. He didn't feel Vader there. He breathed in a deep breath. Waiting would be difficult, but he had to wait. To another's eyes, this would seem an opportune time. Those eyes would not know what they were seeing though, as there would be a better time, but never an opportune one. He maneuvered the speeder onto the landing platform.

Obi-Wan got out and looked around. His eye caught a flight of stairs that led to the main floor. This was going to be tricky. Darth Vader would sense his presence if he wasn't careful. He needed to blend in and be wary of the security.

As he began to walk towards the stairs, a man stopped him. "I'm sorry, but are you going to the costume party as well? I couldn't help but notice your choice of dress." The words seeped into Obi-Wan as he realized his Jedi robes would be a problem. They were not going to help him blend in. Luckily, the robes were so uncommon that they would look to be a joke, not a threat.

"Ah, yes," Obi-Wan responded. "I was actually looking for a better costume. This one is somewhat out of style." With a hidden wave of his hand and a small use of the Force, Obi-Wan convinced the man to switch clothes with him. The man was wearing the outfit of a resident here. It was an odd costume, but soon the partier explained. "I find the best costume to be my own clothes. It is an on-going joke with me and my friends. A change is always good though, and I think I will enjoy this one."

Obi-Wan chuckled to himself. He too would be playing dress-up for a while. When he had finished changing in a nearby bathroom, he looked in the mirror. The clothes fit better than expected. Yes, he could definitely look the part.

The man laughed as he watched Obi-Wan look in the mirror. "The clothes fit you fine; don't worry. Thank you for the change of clothes and enjoy the party. If I see you there, I will be sure to say hello. Good-bye." Obi-Wan said good-bye as well, smiling to himself at what the Force could do for him. He looked in the mirror once more before leaving. He saw the smile on his face and instantly frowned. He hadn't smile since what had seemed like forever. The people he had known his entire life were gone. Everything he had stood for had been burned and turned to ash on Mustafar. He didn't have many reasons to smile.

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Obi-Wan finally went out into the sunlight. He winced as the harsh rays met his eyes. Once his vision became focused again, he set off towards the main floor. The front desk sat in the middle of the room. Workers busied themselves by passing papers and entering files into a data pad for their manager.

There was a large amount of confusion in the area as they scurried about. Fear hung in the air. Obi-Wan felt through the Force to see the problem. He picked up on a thought that seemed to come from all the workers at once: _The Emperor is coming!_

Obi-Wan muttered to himself as he considered what this would mean. _Hmmm, this is going to be interesting. That's for sure. No doubt Palpatine is coming to see his apprentice. Would Vader still be an apprentice? _He stopped thinking, realizing that he knew very little about the relationship between the two men. Yes, he had known about the changes in the Empire. How could he not? But in actuality, he knew next to nothing about the true dealings on this planet. It had been a long time since he'd been here.

_I need to think on this. Ah, but no time! The feeling of anxiety is getting stronger by the minute. Palpatine will be here soon, I'm sure. Well, I'll just have to be impulsive…_Obi-Wan reached for his utility belt. It was a habit of his, mainly because often the word "impulsive" was linked with the word "lightsaber." Training Anakin had had that effect on him.

He reached for the belt, but only soft velvet met his hands. It gave him an idea. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a man wearing an unusual outfit. As casually as possible, he followed the man back out of the building to where a line of speeders sat. Obi-Wan walked towards his own speeder and got in. He made sure to be right behind the other vehicle. While weaving in and out of traffic in order to keep up with this care-free partier, he leaned back and sighed. _I hope there will be talkative people at the party. I need that information…and a drink._


	6. Anakin Returns

**Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars... But if I did... (insert maniacal laughter here)

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**Anakin Returns**

_"Mommy isn't feeling all that well."_ Anakin brought his flesh hand to his face and covered his eyes. Moments with Luke or Leia were always lingering in his mind. He knew that she was perceptive and could see right through him. "It's like there's a hole in me," he had once told the Emperor. "It's like she can see that I'm the grand oppressor of the galaxy. It scares me to know that she can see what I truly am." Palpatine had told him to shrug it off. He had told Anakin to step back from emotions and become Lord Vader once more.

_Damn it! I shouldn't have worried Leia. Padmé is never feeling well. Not since…_Anakin tried to shrug it off. He was at work now, sitting behind a grand desk and filling in the blanks of some of his reports. These reports were a huge waste of time in his opinion, but he did them because Palpatine wanted them done. At times like these, he often felt like a dog doing whatever his master commanded. He knew himself to be better than this, but he kept quite, knowing he still had much to learn as an apprentice.

A sudden thought flickered through his mind. Usually, he checked up on the house during this time of day. It was not something that Padmé knew about, but there were cameras installed in the sitting room of their home. _Just for precaution…just for precaution. _He told himself the words over and over again, but they never seemed to ring true. He was especially worried today. Something was in the air, a change that could alter his entire life. Glancing at his mechanical arm, Anakin silently reminded himself that change had rarely ever been a good thing for him.

Flipping on the camera switch, he watched the screen for anything unusual. In the corner of the screen, he saw his wife sitting on the couch. She was setting drinks and snacks on the table and fixing things throughout the room. _That's different. What's she doing?_ The cookies that she had chosen were a rather odd choice, considering that neither she nor the twins liked them. They thought the snack bland and tasteless. The white wine that she had chosen was rather surprising as well. She hated white wine with a passion, preferring red wine instead.

He continued staring at the screen, becoming more and more puzzled by the minute. After a few minutes, he turned off the cameras. Staring at the room was getting him nowhere. The more he thought about the situation, the angrier he became. _What's she keeping from me? _He threw he fists on the desk in frustration, only to leave a deep impression on the soft wood. Great! Now he would have to explain the third ruined desk this month.

Darth Vader began creeping into his thoughts, telling Anakin all the possible scenarios. Vader whispered of betrayal, secret meetings with past senators, and perhaps – no, it couldn't be – affairs. Wrestling with his hidden tormentor's lies, Anakin ran out of the office. He headed for his speeder and jumped in. He needed to settle down before making any plans. Anakin turned the speeder onto auto-pilot, thinking that it was headed for a local diner. If he would have only checked the auto-screen before meditating, he would have seen a message: "DESTINATION: HOME".

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His mind was settling down and the accusations were slipping from his mind when he opened his eyes from his meditation. Anakin opened his eyes to the familiar site of the apartment building where his family resided. All his calm evaporated as Vader's thoughts flooded his mind. Vader seized the moment and took control from Anakin. With brutal carelessness, he slammed the speeder to a halt. 

He jumped out and ran towards the nearest stairway. There were elevators near him, but pure fury blinded his vision. Instead, he climbed fifty flights of stairs with shocking speed do to the Force. Completely breathless, he stopped for a second on the stairs. He fell to the floor in pure exhaustion. Maddening fury pulsed through his veins, turning his heart to ice.

A door to the floor below opened and voices drifted up towards him. Two men laughed as they came towards Lord Vader. They then spotted him and came to a halt. One tried to help him off the floor, but with a slight push of the Force, Vader had him slammed up against the opposite wall. The two were wearing the uniforms of the staff on the main floor. They knew who was visiting the Skywalker apartments that day.

"Who is coming to my apartments?" His voice breathed pure fire. He held out his hand, choking the helpless worker pinned to the wall.

"The Emperor." The man gasped as he fell to the floor after being let loose.

_Why? What does he need to talk to Padmé about? Why isn't he talking to me?_ Vader's mind raced with questions as he ran up the next flight of stairs towards the nearest floor. He slipped through the floor's door and ran for the elevator. The elevator took him up towards his wife and children. Vader kept his mind going with question after question after question. _Why can't this thing go any faster?_ He kept going further and further up inside the elevator.

Finally, Vader reached the top floor. He raced through the door and into a small hallway. The door to the apartments opened as he went to punch in the security code. Luke stood in the doorway. Vader was about to push the boy aside and storm in, but he was thrown into unconsciousness as Anakin fought for control. Anakin tussled Luke's hair and bent down to see his son eye-to-eye.

"Where's Mommy?" He asked with a fatherly affection. Luke looked into the eyes of the man before him, unsure as to who he was seeing: Anakin or Vader. Leia came up behind her brother, anxious to see who was at the door. Before even seeing Anakin, she sensed the calming and loving presence. Knowing that Vader was tucked away somewhere, she secretly signaled to Luke that it was okay to open the door. Taking the hint, her brother moved aside so that their father could come in.

Padmé was still getting ready behind them. She was fixing a pillow as a sweeping sensation of her husband came rushing towards her. "Ani…" she said as he came up to kiss her cheek. She turned to her love and felt that Vader was far away. Luke closed the door as his parents hugged warmly, feeling more loving than they had in a long time...


	7. Sweet Angel, Sweet Jedi

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, other than random homework assignments.**

**Author's Note: I'm sorry about this taking so long. I had school and finalsand an awesome summer program to go to. Anyway, I've posted now. Forgive the long wait. **

**Oh, and love to any of my Choatie friends that are reading this!**

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**Sweet Angel, Sweet Jedi**

Finally convincing herself to pull back from the warmth and comfort, Padmé pulled away from her husband to look into his glorious blue eyes. Before she could open her mouth to speak, he leaned in and kissed her passionately. The twins laughed secretly as their parents shared in another warm embrace. Luke whispered to Leia, "Ewww, gross!" Anakin overheard the comment and laughed. Padmé was soothed by his carefree actions.

"I've missed you," she whispered in his ear. He turned towards her and smiled before taking her hand. Silently, he led her into their room so that they could talk privately. As soon as the door closed, he pulled her to him and hugged her tightly, never wanting to let go and face the dark realities that surrounded them. Her arms wrapped around him, and her head rested against his shoulder. His hand ran up and down her back as he sang comforting nonsense in her ear. Time stood still for minutes as they held each other and forgot about all their troubles.

Tender, calming moments did not however last long for the couple. Padmé thought about how much she loved Anakin Skywalker and began to silently weep into his shoulder. Somewhat shocked by her sweeping change of emotion, he lifted her chin up to look into her eyes. There was no point in asking what bothered her; he knew. Instead he led her over towards the bed to sit down. She did not resist at all, and fell into his arms.

"We have to talk about all of this." Though he would do anything to just comfort her and forget their issues, Anakin was the one to start the conversation.

"We do." The simple words cut through them both.

"Padmé, listen. I wish that this was different, believe me. But what can I do?"

As much as she knew it would hurt him, Padmé said the words anyway. "That's what you thought on Mustafar."

Anakin felt as though Coruscant itself had fallen on top of him. "That was different."

"No," she nearly screamed at him. "It was _not_ any different. Damn it, Anakin! Nothing has changed here! Vader–"

"That's not me."

She shook her head. "That doesn't matter. Face the facts. You've always been different. People have _always_ noticed you. We can't change that, but we can leave even still. If we leave now, we could go somewhere quiet. There has to be somewhere where we would go unnoticed."

Anakin considered everything that she had laid out before him and sighed. "There is nowhere quiet. There is nowhere safe. As his apprentice, Darth Vader has made damn sure of that!"

"You mean _you've_ made sure of that."

He turned to her, his eyes begging for her mercy. "That's not me, Padmé. I'm telling you that he's not the man you fell in love with. He's not the father of our children. He's not me!"

She turned away from him, unsure as to what to say. "Anakin–"

"Ani," he corrected her. "Ani, remember? Don't you remember calling me that?" He put his hands on her shoulders and rubbed them soothingly. "Please call me Ani. I'm not Vader or the Chosen One or the infamous Anakin Skywalker right now. I'm Ani – your Ani. No one else." She rolled in her shoulders, as if she was uncomfortable. He took the message and dropped his hands.

Her voice became cold as she threw one of the hardest facts into his face, knowing that it would hurt like hell. _Good. He needs to remember how to feel again, even if that means pain. _Inhaling deeply, she spoke. "That could all change in an instant. One word could enrage you, and my loving husband would disappear. I would be left with Vader."

His voice cracked as he told her the simple truth. "But you're not."

They sat in silence for some time. At some point, the walls that held her anger and pain inside broke and she sobbed without end. Anakin scooted towards her and put loving arms around her. She was too tired of fighting, so she fell back into him. As angry and hurt as she was, Padmé needed his comforting arms around her. An old Nubian poem came into her head. _I need you like water to douse the flame you made. For loving you, there is a debt that must be paid. _

Padmé became lost in her inundation of tears. His hand cupped her chin, and he lifted her eyes to meet his. She gazed into deep blue pools as his face came towards hers in a sweet gentle kiss. The kiss told her volumes more than his words ever could have. Anakin pulled away and would have released her from the embrace, but she gripped his forearms in a desperate plea for the comfort. He pulled her close once more and brushed his lips over her forehead.

His voice echoed throughout the room as he sang her a song from his childhood on Tatooine while silently applying an old and nearly forgotten Jedi calming technique. The sweet lullaby contained the more soothing words of his harsh language. She rested her head against his chest and listened to the words. Some swam into her head with meaning and others just helped the calming melody along. As she drifted in off into a much needed sleep, she heard and understood the long final line to the lullaby…. "Sweet angel, my angel, I love you so; sweet angel, my angel, don't cry now; let go."

* * *

Anakin sat and watched his darling wife dream peacefully for minutes before he finally picked her up and carried her to the bed. He set her down on top of the covers and blanketed her with an invisible warm layer of the Force. _"Comfort as well as pain can come from the Force, young Skywalker."_ Master Yoda's words rang with truth, Sith or no. Anakin went around to the other side of the bed and settled down into the mattress as well. No calming technique was needed to put him to sleep, for Padmé's presence and the loving air about her put his mind to rest. 

The sanctuary would not last for long, he realized. Soon, the Empire would work its way back into his mind. The pain would work its way back into the house. These thoughts nearly stopped Anakin from finding his way to the pleasant dream world. As the sensation of drowning filled his senses, his arm went around his sleeping wife's waist.

He quickly pulled her to him, finding the life line he was searching for. She incoherently snuggled into him and quietly murmured the end of the lullaby once more, with only a few small changes that neither seemed to notice as they dreamed…. "Sweet Jedi, my Jedi, I love you dear; sweet Jedi, my Jedi, don't leave me here…."


	8. Awake Again

**Disclaimer: I'm not the LG or any relation of his, so I don't own Star Wars. **

**Author's Note: I just wanted to say that I've been getting a lot of "write more" comments, and it'd be awesome if you guys could give me a little more than that.

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Awake Again

Palpatine sat in his office and smiled at how well his plans were being carried out.

He turned to face the large window in the room. As he watched the people below milling about with their daily activities, he smiled. Few people seemed to realize the huge changes that were going on around them. An all-too-familiar Sith mantra came into his head. _Ignorance is a weakness. Knowledge is a weakness. _Life_ is a weakness. _

Yes, if the political world had taught him anything, it was that one important lesson: everyone has a weakness. Finding the common weakness of the galaxy had not been as difficult as one might expect. In actuality, taking over the galaxy had been a slow, tedious process…but not a difficult one.

People were easy to manipulate. They had been too caught up in their own worlds to notice when democracy had become a mere fairy tale. With a few political tricks and tinkering with the vision of certain Jedi, he had come to power.

True, some systems were not as compromising as would be preferred, but they could change their opinions…with a little "help" from one Darth Vader. Vader…his apprentice had seemed a little off lately. Something was holding him back inside his mind. _Probably those "good" parts in Anakin are showing up again. _

To Palpatine, Vader and Anakin were two in the same. The truth was that they were linked, but not the same man. Vader was cold and cruel, while Anakin was warm, loving, and a bit hot-headed. The one body that contained them both could best be described as dry ice – cold enough to burn. It was almost eerie….

Palpatine leaned back and sighed. He gazed out the window of his office. Coruscant was spread out before him. Through the Force, he felt a sudden shift. A feeling shot out at him through the waves. _Love?_ He nearly jumped out of his chair. This was becoming too much too fast. He would have to put off his lunch with Padmé. He would need this time to develop a plan before he could talk to her.

Anger burned through him. He had been so close! His goal to completely and totally control his apprentice had been within reach – tantalizingly so. Concentration was near impossible at this second. He needed to talk with someone who could help. Many thought that he was all-powerful as Emperor, which was true. No being in the galaxy could hope to rival him, though two could hope to help him. Vader was one, and now he was "busy" elsewhere. Palpatine would need to go to his last resource to help him calm down and work on his plan.

* * *

Meanwhile… 

Padmé awoke to find her sleeping husband with his arms wrapped around her. She faintly remembered falling asleep in his arms and the fading melodies of a lullaby. She began to get up, but Anakin's arm tightened around her, forcing her to stay with him. Once she had lain back down beside him, his grip loosened slightly – just enough so that she could turn to face him.

Her hand came up towards his face to brush a few stray hairs away from his eyes. As if it were a reflex, Anakin's hand shot up to grab her wrist as his eyes sprang open. He pulled her to him and kissed her passionately. Without even meaning to, he picked up on one of her passing thoughts. _I should be getting ready._ He froze, remembering the anger that had coursed through his veins while accusation after accusation flew through his mind.

"For what?" He could not stand the secret any longer. He had to know why the Emperor was visiting her. What wasn't she telling him?

Padmé looked at him with a curious expression. She had not realized that he had invaded her mind. He avoided her eyes, not wanting her to know that he had been so insensitive. This bashfulness was uncommon for her husband, and she quickly put together the pieces of the puzzle. Her hand reached out and touched his cheek. She made him meet her eyes. Her gaze told him to break into her mind once more, only this time it would be with an unsaid permission.

_Palpatine is coming to speak with me…about you._ Once she knew that he had received her message, she dropped her eyes. He retreated out of her mind, but not before sending her a silent reply. _It's alright. _Padmé was shocked and immediately her head rose again to meet his eyes, but he had already engaged her in another kiss. After a moment of sweet, forgiving bliss, he pulled away from her to talk.

"When is he coming?"

She sat up before answering. "For lunch. I didn't want him to come, Anakin." She began to list off reasons to justify the scheduled meeting.

He sat up as well and wrapped his arms around her once more. "It doesn't matter. I'm not angry–" He would have continued, but they were interrupted as her comlink began beeping. She went over and pressed the "Receive Message" button as she had done that morning. Palpatine's image came into view as he left a short message without waiting for a response.

"Padmé, we will have to reschedule our meeting. I plan to come over during dinner instead of lunch. Darth Vader will be working late, so we can meet without worry of interruption."

His image flashed once and then disappeared. His message was less than polite, and Padmé was rather agitated at being treated so rudely. Before she could comment on the message, Luke came into the room. He went up to his mother and pulled on the side of her dress in order to get her attention. She smiled down at him as she placed a hand on his sandy blond hair. He looked up at her and said exactly what she expected, "Mommy, I'm hungry." She scooped him up into her arms and carried him off towards the kitchen. "We'll just have to fix that, now won't we?"

Anakin smiled and then began to meditate on the bed until Leia came into the room. She came over and sat down next to him. Without opening his eyes, he began speaking to her. "Aren't you hungry? Mommy is making lunch in the kitchen." She looked up at him and beamed. "I heard you singing….It was pretty." He opened his eyes and then smiled at his little girl.

"Do you know what it means?"

"Some of it. I know it's about an angel."

"Yes, it is."

She looked up at him. "Mommy says that I'm an angel."

He chuckled. "Yes, your name actually means 'little angel' in Nubian – that's Mommy's language. Luke's name means 'hope' in my language."

As he said this, Luke came in to tell them both that lunch was ready. Leia and Luke started off towards the kitchen. At the door, Leia turned around. "Are you coming to eat with us, Daddy?" Anakin got up and walked towards his hope and his little angel. "I'd be happy to, sweetie."


	9. Not Ani

**Disclaimer: I've tried selling my soul for it, but I still don't own Star Wars.**

**Author's Note: If anyone has ideas or thoughts on how to continue the story, they'd be much appreciated. I need inspiration.

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Not Ani

Obi-Wan stared down at the drink in his hand. The name of the concoction escaped him at the moment, but he could tell that it should be his last one. His vision was blurring a tad. But then again, how much of that was the drink and how much was sheer exhaustion? He closed his eyes for a second, hoping that his eyes might refocus once he opened them again. No such luck.

He downed the last of his drink and went in search of information. That was why he came to this party, to get information. Obi-Wan walked around the room for a while, trying to find someone who looked approachable. Finally, a man caught his eye. The man was dressed as a Sith lord. It could have been costume, but it could also have been true. _Costume party, remember? He's wearing a costume._ The Jedi Master silently ridiculed himself as he walked towards the figure.

The "Sith lord" had been standing alone in a corner. While he was wearing the clothes of an oppressor, he was actually smiling and seemed in quite a pleasant state of mind. He swayed along with the music while sipping on a drink very similar to the one Obi-Wan had been having himself.

"Enjoying the party?" Obi-Wan started off with as simple a topic as possible. Confrontation would not be a brilliant plan. He couldn't rush into things the way a certain Padawan had always done. _It's not like I'm – _He closed his eyes once more, trying not to think about him….

The man turned to look at him. "It's okay. I've definitely seen more interesting things in my life time…like watching paint dry, for example." Obi-Wan gave a small laugh, before letting the man continue. "There are, after all, only politicians playing dress-up here." They had an exchange of false names, neither feeling the need to be completely honest with each other. The two seemed to get along very well. Too well, in fact. A Sith should never be that comfortable with a Jedi.

* * *

Lunch had been both delicious and heart-warming for Anakin. The twins had eaten with silent smirks that said they knew that their parents were truly happy…for now. Anakin and Padmé had talked about a possible break for a family vacation, though they knew that it was more fantasy than reality. Padmé also brought up the subject of the twins' upcoming start to school. The question was where their children could go to school without being alienated or admired. They wanted a small bit of normality for their hope and little angel.

After lunch, the twins had been put to bed for a small nap. Anakin put Luke to bed, while Padmé tucked Leia in. The couple then met in the hallway. They went to the living room hand-in-hand. Anakin spread out across the couch and gestured for Padmé to sit on his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and smiled contentedly before whispering in her ear.

"I love you, angel."

"I love you, Anakin."

"Ani."

"Anakin." He sighed. She was not going to cave in. He could already tell that much. She sensed his frustration and kissed his palm. Quietly, she explained why. "I can't pretend that everything is alright. I do love you, but I can't pretend quite that much. Please understand that."

"Let's not fight about all this." His arms tightened slightly around her waist, telling her to drop the subject. She sighed and snuggled into him. His arms relaxed around her. He took a deep breath and calmed.

"I really do love you, Anakin." Padmé was desperate to reassure her husband. No matter what he did, she would love him. He had to know that. He _had_ to know that. She suddenly needed him to know more than she needed air. She stood up suddenly, knowing he would follow suit. His hands reached out for her – a silent gesture asking what was wrong…because his lips couldn't. They were busy kissing her, as she had turned around so that her lips could meet his as soon as he had stood.

Without bothering to break the kiss, he guided them both backwards to the couch. Anakin sat down, and Padmé sat on his lap. She pulled away just long enough to whisper "I love you," before Anakin brought her back towards him. He answered her without words, knowing that his reply would mean more in her mind. _I love you too._

Before they could go much further, Padmé broke away. It was becoming too much. She had just gotten her loving husband back that morning. More than anything, she wanted time to think about what was happening. _I need time to think – lots of time. I can't think with him here._

Thoughts ran through Anakin's mind as well. He wanted to stop all this back and forth – to find the center of the problem and fix it. _"I'm good at fixing things…"_ He remembered saying that to Padmé so long ago.

Both saw the conundrum at the same time. They both wanted to think alone, but they might never get this time back. They wanted every minute. How could they use every moment when they were still so torn up inside? Whatever decision they made, it would hurt them somehow.

Both decided that the choice most likely to hurt them both was the only one they could choose. Chocolate brown eyes found the blue ones looking back. They thought as one for a moment.

_Don't leave me – not yet…

* * *

_

A couple hours of the party were spent collecting information. The two men enjoyed their time together. Obi-Wan felt reacquainted with Coruscant. He once again had the common gossip of city planet that had once been his home. Whether or not the gossip was true was unimportant. He just needed to get a sense of the people and what was supposedly going on. The facts were always jumbled and often half-truths were all a person could get his hands on. Even when the Republic had existed, that had been true.

The party was beginning to end, so the two men went their separate ways. Just as Obi-Wan walked away, the other man's comlink began to go off. The Sith reached down to dig into his pocket. His hand found the comlink and hit the button to have Palpatine's image come into view just as Obi-Wan stepped out the door.


	10. Desrucion

**Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, Moulin Rouge, Down With Love, Shallow Grave, or Big Fish...I basically don't own anything with Ewan McGregor. Oh the humanity of it all!**

**Author's Note: What do you think of the name? It's pretty obvious how I came up with it, isn't it?

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**Desrucion**

"Master." Palpatine was greeted on the other end of the line by his last hope – his only hope. Palpatine returned the greeting. "Desrucion, we need to talk. It's urgent." Desrucion looked at his master and tried to decode his master's words. He had no luck.

Sighing in frustration, he stared at his master and asked the question that was often lethal for someone somewhere in the galaxy. "Can I do something for you, my master?" Desrucion was greeted with a smile which told of cruel intentions and sweet satisfaction at his obedience. It was enough to send chills down his spine.

"Come to my office, immediately – if not sooner." The image of the master flashed out of existence. While heading for his speeder, Desrucion wondered what his next assignment would be. He wondered how many people he would have to kill mercilessly in order to please his master. But herein lies the beauty of being a Sith – he didn't even need to stop to think of the consequences or possible guilt of the future killings. He shrugged it off and tallied it up as another day of work.

Within no time at all, Desrucion was kneeling in front of his master and waiting for orders to stand, talk, or go on a mission. He would do whatever was requested without hesitation, even if he was asked to turn his lightsaber on himself. "Arise." The Sith apprentice stood in front of the Emperor. The Emperor spoke without emotion, though his cool demeanor was more frightening than if he had been in a blind rage.

"I have called you here because I need you help. As you know, my true apprentice is Darth Vader…." The words burned, but Desrucion kept silent. It was better to be second than it was not to be an apprentice at all. "He is currently in danger of losing sight of what is important. He is beginning to think that his wife and children are of greater value than the Sith and our ways. I have decided that the best way of dealing with this problem is by simply getting rid of those distracting him. In short, I want his wife and daughter dead–"

Desrucion could not help but interrupt. "What of his son?"

The Sith apprentice was rewarded with a menacing glare. "Do think that I would have overlooked something? Do you find me incompetent? No, don't answer that. For once in your miserable life, just listen. I realize that his son would still be in the picture. We need Luke Skywalker. Without any of his family, Vader would become lost in his sorrow and self-pity. Besides, Luke is to be his father's future apprentice. He will be of value some day. I have decided that you are to take on the task of killing Padmé and Leia Skywalker, but you are not to leave any clues that you did it. I don't want Vader to be able to trace it back to me."

Desrucion nodded at this but kept his mouth shut as his master continued. "I will be meeting with Padmé this evening. I want you to wait an hour after I have left before making any attempt on her life. If it is too soon after I leave, it would be painfully obvious. Don't you think so? Of course you do. Now I don't care how you do it or if it's messy or not; just see that it gets done. Understand?"

"Yes, master."

"Good."

* * *

"My second store of faith for you. 

You won't even believe it's true,

But I've got a second chance for you.

It's hidden in the back of my mind.

It's an extra care for you,

For when I can't be there for you.

I've got this second hope for you.

It's hidden in the back of my mind.

I keep it under lock and key.

It's only there for you and me.

My second store of faith, you see…

It's a one of a kind.

It's a hope for when you need.

It's made up of the air I breathe.

And when you're losing faith in me,

Take it from the place where it now hides.

My second store of faith for you.

You won't even believe it's true,

But I've got a second chance for you.

It's hidden in the back of my mind."

Anakin went over the words that Padmé had written over and over again. He had not known that she had started writing poetry. While she had been in the shower, he had gone to find something in their room – what that something was, he could no longer remember – and instead found a stack of papers that had Padmé's neat hand-writing on it. He thought it odd that she would not want to put all the work and information into a data pad. Why not just save the files and make sure that they were safe somewhere?

Without truly realizing what he was doing, Anakin sat down and began to read through the stack. A lot of the papers were simple journal entries about the twins. There was also an assortment of poems. Anakin found several that he knew were about what Padmé thought of him. It bothered him, because only one or two of them were at all comforting. A lot of the poetry that was about him was about anger and pain.

He was so engrossed in her poetry and what it meant that he did not notice when she came out of shower. He was still oblivious when she walked up towards him. Only when she bent down to give him a quick kiss on the cheek did he notice her presence. She wrapped her arms around his neck and looked over his shoulder to see what he was reading.

"Oh." Her voice dropped as she said the simple word, but she did not move away from him.

He turned his head to look back at her. "I don't understand this."

Padmé saw the confused expression on his face and laughed. He was never one for poetry or literature. "What don't you understand?"

"The line that says, 'It's made up of the air I breathe.' I don't understand what you're talking about there. It just doesn't seem to work."

"Well, it's about Luke. He is just like you. I was writing about how he was a sort of second chance for you. He's also our 'hope.' He's my second store of faith sometimes. But that one line you were wondering about is because I gave him life….We gave him life. I still don't like the lines that say, 'I keep it under lock and key. It's only there for you and me,' though. I don't know if I'll change them or not."

"I like it, Padmé. Are you going to write one about our 'little angel' too?"

"I am writing one about her now, but it's very rough. I haven't even bothered to put it down on paper. That's how rough it is."

Grinning, Anakin stood up and hugged her tightly. He whispered into her ear, "I can't wait to read it."

* * *

The couple stood in silence for a moment, just enjoying the company of one another. Unfortunately, Anakin was so caught up in the moment that he let his guard down. If he had been fully aware of his surroundings, he might have realized that two people were watching over the apartment at that moment. Neither person would let the couple stay content for much longer. 


End file.
